A Lady of Letters Mystery: Book 2
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Extra, extra, read all about it! Countess turned advice columnist Amelia Amesbury finds herself playing the role of sleuth when a night at the theatre turns deadly.
Victorian Countess Amelia Amesbury’s secret hobby, writing an advice column for a London penny paper, has gotten her into hot water before. After all, Amelia will do whatever it takes to help a reader in need. But now, handsome marquis Simon Bainbridge desperately requires her assistance. His beloved younger sister, Marielle, has written Amelia’s Lady Agony column seeking advice on her plans to elope with a man her family does not approve of. Determined to save his sister from a scoundrel and the family from scandal, Simon asks Amelia to dissuade Marielle from the ill-advised gambit.
But when the scoundrel makes an untimely exit after a performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto, Amelia realizes there’s much more at stake than saving a young woman’s reputation from ruin. It’s going to take more than her letter-writing skills to help the dashing marquis, mend the familial bond, and find the murderer. Luckily, solving problems is her specialty!
Lady Agony is once again busily dispensing tantalizing advice to the ton in Murder in Masquerade, a wonderful whodunnit by Mary Winters. Witty, clever, and utterly beguiling, this mystery sets Lord Simon Bainbridge and Lady Amelia Amesbury, aka Lady Agony, on a common goal of thwarting an undesirable marriage by Simon’s sister, Mariella.
George Davies, former Bainbridge stablehand turned successful racehorse trainer, has his sights on Mariella, but Simon is determined at all costs to keep the marriage from happening. When George Davies is found murdered on Drury Lane, Mariella blames Simon for his attitude toward her dead beloved as a cause for the murder.
Simon loves his sister dearly, and to set their relationship to rights, he appeals to Amelia for her assistance in solving the murder. Once the two of them put their heads together, adventures commence in earnest. It is the London season after all, so while social events must be attended, clues are chased across London from the opera to riding horseback on Rotten Row to teas, to a quite competitive croquet match and a lovely garden party hosted by Lady Amelia with the ready assistance of her dear friend, Lady Kitty Hamstead.
As one suspect after another and one clue after another is eliminated, Amelia uses her sharp sleuthing skills to determine the murderer. While Marielle is heartbroken at her loss, she continues on in the vein of the season until one evening she comes up missing. This sets Amelia and Simon on a race against time, not only to apprehend the murderer but to save Mariella from harm.
A whirlwind of action and clever adventure, Murder in Masquerade is a fast-paced tale, rich in historical detail and fraught with romantic tension between Simon and Amelia. Vividly rich descriptions set the scene, whether the garden party, the box at the opera house, or climbing down a tree in a voluptuous gown. Clues are scattered throughout with an ending, and culprit never once suspected. The downside? The book ended, but hopefully, there are many more adventures to come with Lady Amelia and Lord Simon.
A fun and yet sometimes madcap adventure, Murder in Masquerade is a thoroughly delightful, masterfully intriguing, and extremely well-told historical mystery of the highest caliber.
Mary Winters is the author of the Lady of Letters historical mystery series. She also writes cozy mysteries under the name Mary Angela. A longtime reader and fan of historical fiction, Mary set her latest work in Victorian England after being inspired by a trip to London. Since then, she’s been busily planning her next mystery—and another trip!
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Thank you for the wonderful review! I really appreciate your kind words.